It’s not black and white — video games span a wide spectrum

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RE THE article “iGame, iThink, iHeal” (g section, July 8): I’m happy to see video games portrayed in a positive light for their use as therapy. However, I was disappointed in the author’s use of statements that perpetuate the impression that all video games are violent.

One person quoted refers to “zombie-killing” and another to “shooting Nazis or chopping people’s heads off with a light saber.” These are gross overstatements of the video game industry.

For examples, games such “Minecraft,” though they include certain elements of violence, focus on the aspect of creation, not destruction. Look also at another popular title, “Journey,” a game based purely on exploration and puzzles. Comparing “Journey” to “Call of Duty” would be like comparing the movies “Beasts of the Southern Wild” to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” There is no relationship between those two movies other than that they are in the same industry.

I would remind readers not to generalize video games but to consider them an art form with a broad variety of content.